Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
A recent derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train service has sparked significant public outrage and prompted serious allegations of negligence from prominent Nigerian civil rights activist and former Senator, Shehu Sani. The incident, which occurred earlier on Tuesday, is not being treated by Sani as an isolated accident but rather as a preventable failure directly attributable to the inaction of the responsible authorities.
According to Shehu Sani, the derailment is the direct and tragic consequence of systemic negligence. He asserts that for many months, regular passengers on the route have been vocal about experiences and observable deterioration along the track. These complaints, which served as early warnings, were reportedly consistently ignored by the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and other concerned government bodies.
Passenger complaints are said to have included visible track misalignment, excessive shaking, loud jarring sounds, and a generally unstable ride, suggesting underlying issues with the track foundation or the train wheels.
Sani further emphasized the particularly dangerous context of the Abuja-Kaduna route. The vast, expansive bushland between the two cities is remote and historically insecure. This is not a stretch of track where malfunctions or delays can be taken lightly.
“A derailment in this zone presents compounded danger. The area has been a hotspot for banditry and kidnapping in recent years. A stranded train and vulnerable passengers would become easy targets for criminal elements, potentially leading to a catastrophe far worse than a simple accident,” Sani added.
Shehu Sani’s statement transcends mere criticism but is a forceful call for accountability. His commentary implies that the authorities failed in their fundamental duty of care. The necessary inspections, routine maintenance, and timely repairs that could have averted the disaster were allegedly not carried out despite clear and repeated warnings from the very people who use the service daily.
This incident raises serious questions about the management of Nigerian Railway Corporation infrastructure and the prioritization of passenger safety. His remarks have amplified demands for a thorough and transparent investigation into the cause of the derailment, not just to determine the immediate technical fault, but to uncover the chain of managerial and institutional failures that allowed it to happen.
The public now awaits an official response from the Nigerian Railway Corporation and relevant government ministries, expecting not just apologies but a concrete plan to overhaul maintenance protocols and ensure such a preventable incident does not occur again.